Questions have arisen over how 50 Cent and Netflix obtained behind-the-scenes footage of Sean “Diddy” Combs for the docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which debuted on the streaming platform on Dec. 2.
Now, Diddy’s longtime personal videographer, Michael Oberlies, says the material did not come from him. In a Dec. 10 statement to Rolling Stone, Oberlies alleged the footage was released by a freelancer who briefly filled in while he was out of state.
“For over two years we have been working on a project profiling Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs,” Oberlies said. “The footage in question was not released by me or anyone authorized to handle Sean Combs’ materials; it was by a third party who covered for me for three days while I was out of state. This incident had nothing to do with any fee dispute or contract issue.”
Oberlies slammed the decision to share the footage, calling it a breach of professional ethics. “Taking footage intended for our project to advance a narrative that was not our own is both unethical and unacceptable,” he said.
The clips include scenes of Diddy in a New York City hotel room days before his September 2024 arrest, conversations with his legal team, and footage of him greeting fans in Harlem, where he joked about needing hand sanitizer after being “out in the streets amongst the people.”
Diddy, who is serving a 50-month prison sentence, has condemned the series.
A spokesperson called it a “shameful hit piece,” and accused the streaming platform of using “stolen” footage. Netflix pushed by back, stating that all footage was obtained legally.